Trapped
by car0line
Summary: What happens when a corrupt Ministry introduces the Arranged Marriage Act, and Hermione Granger is forced to marry Draco Malfoy? Neither one of them is happy with the marriage, but what can they do about it? Sort of AU, disregards DH.
1. Challenges

**My newest story! I've got high hopes for this one, and I've already got the second chapter started. I know it's a marriage law fic, and they've been done with some many characters but they're some of my favourites and I decided to take a swing at it. I'm Canadian, so please forgive my Britishisms, but I've tried my best. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"A Marriage Law? Really? That's what it's come to out there? I'd rather they kept the Muggleborn Registration plans! I'll snap my wand before I let the Ministry marry me off to some Death Eater to become a sex slave!" Hermione raged as she sat at the kitchen table of number 12 Grimmauld Place. Her hands were shaking with rage and fear as she read the letter in her hands.

"Hermione, it may not be that horrible. There are plenty of purebloods that aren't on Voldemort's side. I mean, I know you don't want to get married to McLaggen, but you could still fight the war if you were. And no one on our side is about to force you into having... erm, relations with them." Harry reasoned.

"I'll marry you, Hermione, I'm a pureblood. I don't know why you're getting your knickers in a twist. There, problem solved." Ron stated, with a smug look on his face.

"As flattered as a I am Ronald, the problem isn't solved. You aren't eligible. It says here that my use of the time turner has aged me 6 months, so now I'm legally of age. You don't get a choice on who you marry, either. The law says that a husband will be chosen for me within the week 'based on our ability to produce viable magical children'. I don't think I'll be getting McLaggen, either. This could be bad." Her shoulders sagged and she put her head on the table.

"So then you want to leave magical society then?" Harry asked, apprehensively. Ron's head shot up, and his eyes grew fearful as the gravity of the situation set in.

"No... Yes.. I don't know! I don't want to just leave! I want to stay and fight the war. I want to graduate and work in the Department of Mysteries and fight for house elves and be a witch! There's nothing in the muggle world for me now! My education stopped at 11, and it's going to be really hard for me to try and explain that away. I want to stay!"

As she burst into tears, Harry and Ron sat paralyzed for a moment before rushing to comfort her. Awkwardly patting her back, Harry began to speak.

"So you want to take your chances then? I mean, the only way this law could become permanent is if we completely lose the war, and Voldemort wins. But if we win, then this Law will be repealed. So this may only be in effect temporarily. So if you want to take your chances then you could be married to someone for a little while and you could potentially be helping the Order. But if you don't want to take the chance, you could leave magical society for a while, and no one would think any less of you."

Hermione stared out the window, deep in thought. "I.. I'm going to stay. I can't leave you guys like this. I'm not a coward, I won't run away from this. Especially when there are plenty of other young witches in my situation who don't have homes to run off too." She turned to look at them with a watery smile.

"And maybe I'll get lucky and get paired up with a Gryffindor."

* * *

"So when do you find out who it is?" Ginny asked, later that night as they prepared to go to sleep.

"By the end of the week I think. I'm so nervous. I mean, I've been thinking about it and even if I am paired up with a Death Eater, then at least I might be able to learn something useful for the order. My best case scenario is if I get lucky and end up getting paired with Fred or George because then I'll just stay here."

"Useful to the Order? Hermione, no one is expecting you to go through with this for the Order. This is a huge deal! I mean, fuck, have you thought about what being married to a Death Eater night be like? Torture! Physically and mentally! You do know that under Wizarding Law, a marriage isn't legal unless it is consummated within 24 hours of the ceremony? And.. Sweet Merlin, Hermione you know all of the Order's secrets! You can't marry a Death Eater or we've already lost the war! They'll torture every bit of information out of you!" Ginny panicked.

"I've already thought of that. I was researching the Fidelius Charm today, and I think I can modify everything that pertains to Harry or the Order is the secret. I'll get McGonagall to be the secret keeper and I'll still know all about it but I won't be able to talk about it with anyone who she hasn't told about it. I'm going to take other precautions as well though. I'm brewing a batch of Veritaserum antidote and I'm going to keep it on an invisible chain around my neck. I'm also thinking about carrying an emergency portkey, maybe a bracelet or something, that will have a password. I won't be taking any chances. If things get bad, I'll be out of there." She said.

"But that's not even why I'm so nervous. I mean, with a Death Eater, I know it's going to be bad. I'll hate every minute of it but I'm preparing myself for that. But what if I just get a normal pureblood?" She asked anxiously.

"Oh yeah, because being married to someone who doesn't think you're scum or want to kill you would be absolutely terrible! Are you bloody daft, Hermione?"

"Oh, shut up, Ginny. Obviously that's what I'm hoping for but I don't know how to act. With a Death Eater, I'll be able to hate them and I won't have to pretend. But what if I get some poor Hufflepuff who wants a real marriage? Or some Ravenclaw who doesn't want to fight in the war? If I get someone normal, how do I act? I mean, I'll have to sleep with them! I'll have to pretend to enjoy it or something! Bloody hell! It's almost worse in some ways, because I'll have to consider the other person's feelings! Death Eaters, I can prepare myself against, but I don't know how to prepare for anything else!" She was panting with exertion by the end of her tirade.

"Ahhh.. I see what you mean. Though I wouldn't say it's almost worse. It's still a damn sight easier than being married to some pureblood supremacist who'll treat you worse than his house elves. Still... I think everyone is fully aware that this law is a sham. Nobody in their right mind is going to go into this thinking they're getting a real marriage. Just try to think of it as having a roommate. You might even be able to have your own room!" Ginny's reasoning made Hermione feel slightly better about her impending marriage.

* * *

"Chin up, Granger. You could get incredibly lucky and marry one of us!" Fred said as he and his twin sauntered into the kitchen to find her with her head in her hands.

"That would be incredibly lucky, Fred. Why what witch wouldn't want us. You should be hoping for me though, 'Mione, because I'm better looking. And I'm brilliant in bed!"

"I know it's a sad day in hell when I'm actually praying that I get paired up with either of you two. That would be wonderful.." She said, sighing.

"I knew you'd always had a bit of a soft spot for us, Hermione! Look at that love in her eyes, George! Hermione Granger wants nothing more than to become a Weasley!" They all laughed and Hermione felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Fred passed her a glass of pumpkin juice and she sipped it gratefully, wondering how long it had been since she'd eaten a proper meal. Fred's expression changed and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Though, in all seriousness, we're both hoping you'll get one of us. Even though we're both having arranged marriages, we're getting muggleborns. So I may end up married to an annoying Hufflepuff, but she's probably not going to hate me or try to hurt me; but that is a possibility for you. No matter happens, you can always come to us for a sympathetic ear-"

"Or a shoulder to cry on. And if you do get a bastard husband and he hurts you in any way, call us." George chimed in.

"We'll come and get you out of there. I mean it. We won't be letting no slimy git hurt our Hermione." Fred finished. She smiled at them for a moment before the kitchen door opened. Mrs. Weasley walked in with several bags of food floating behind her.

"Alright, you two. Put this lot away and peel the potatoes for supper. Hermione, dear, I'd like a word with you in the Library." She said kindly. Hermione stood and walked out with her.

"Now, I know you think you have no choice but to go ahead with this marriage but you can back out if you'd like to. You are only a child, and this could be incredibly dangerous. The Order doesn't need a spy badly enough to risk the life of a young girl. Please, I know I'm not your mother, but I think of you like a daughter and we could keep you safe! We could find a way to get you away from here and then no one could hurt you!" She said, getting more agitated as she went on.

"Please, Mrs. Weasley. I know that I don't have to do this. But I'm going to do it. I'm scared, and I'm taking every precaution that I can think of. I won't run and hide, though. I may be young, but I can be useful. This is probably the only way that I'll be able to help the Order any more, and I intend to do that. And you never know, maybe with this law I will become your daughter!" She said, with a sad little smile. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears and threw her arms around Hermione, who began to sob as well.

They sat like that until Ginny tapped on the door to say dinner was ready.

* * *

"Hermione, there's another letter form the ministry for you!" Ginny yelled, running up to meet Hermione as she came down the stairs. It had been three days since the original letter and Hermione was as nervous as ever.

"Merlin, Gin, I don't know If I can read this. I mean this letter contains the name of the man who I'll be married to for the foreseeable future and possibly the rest of my life!"

"You could get lucky Hermione. Maybe it won't be so bad." Ginny said, almost as if she were trying to convince herself. They walked back into their bedroom and sat on Hermione's bed. After a moment of silence, Hermione grabbed the letter from her hands.

"Let me see it. Before I lose my nerve." Tearing open the letter, Hermione read aloud.

"_Greetings Ms Hermione Granger,_

_We hope to find you well prepared for your upcoming nuptials. Attached are some of the terms concerning your arranged Pureblood marriage, which are subject to change at any time without notice. For full details please contact the Department of Arranged Marriages._

_Your marriage is scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon at 3:15 p.m. at the Office of Magical Documents. Please arrive half an hour early to ensure all documentation is in order and to be introduced to your future husband or wife._

_Please note that you may only bring a maximum of 5 guests with you to the ceremony, due to space restrictions. _

_Sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk,_

_Secretary_

_Department of Arranged Marriages"_

"That's all the letter says? That's bloody ridiculous! It doesn't even tell you who you're marrying!" Ginny fumed. Hermione took a deep breath and slowly turned to the second page. Her voice shook as she began to speak.

"_The Arranged Marriage Act has been put into effect due to the dwindling numbers of viable magical children being born. It is the Ministry's belief that by matching a Muggleborn and Pureblood based on their ability to produce children that the magical population will flourish. Not all Purebloods or Muggleborns are eligible for this wonderful opportunity due to incompatibility. Below is an incomplete summary of The Arranged Marriage Act._

_1. All marriages must be consummated within 24 hours of the ceremony to be valid._

_2. Couples must have sexual intercourse at least three times a week, not including the time when the female is menstruating._

_3. Absolutely no methods of contraception are allowed until the marriage has produced no less than three children._

_4. Couples must wear the Ministry-provided wedding bands at all times._

_5. Couples are subject to surprise investigation by Ministry Officials at anytime in addition to the standard monthly inspections._

_Any witch or wizard who does not present themselves at the appointed time and place of their marriage will be immediately charged with treason, and a warrant for their arrest will be issued._

_Noncompliance with the Arranged Marriage Act may result in fines, chaperoning or incarceration."_

"Merlin's pants, Hermione. That's terrible. You can still back out you know. After seeing this, I'm starting to think you should. No one would blame you. We could whisk you away to a safe place!"

"No, I'll do it. I've made up my mind. It's the only help I can give to the Order. If I run, then I'm completely useless. At least this way they've got someone on the other side. And like you said, maybe I'll get lucky and get one of the twins!"

She got up slowly. "I wonder if Fred and George have gotten their letters yet? If either of them have the same time listed in them then there is a chance that I might be marrying one of them!" She said, hope shining in her eyes.

She bolted from the room and almost immediately collided into the twins, followed by Harry and Ron.

"Did you get your letter?" George said, a hard look on his face.

"Yes. 3:15 p.m. tomorrow. You?" She asked, steeling herself for a negative answer.

"I'm at 3:15 tomorrow! Hermione, it might be us, it might be alright!" Fred yelled, throwing his arms around her. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. There was still hope!

"I'm at 3:30. They don't set aside much time for the ceremony, eh? But this is brilliant. I wonder who I'll get…" George said, with a grin on his face. "Maybe I'll ask around, see who else has my time tomorrow." He said, and was off with a wink.

"Hermione, that's brilliant. I really hope you get Fred. But don't get your hopes up too much. I mean, obviously Fred is our first choice but you should still go ahead with all the precautions. I don't want you going into this unprepared." Harry said reasonably. Hermione nodded through the tears in her eyes, and threw her eyes around Harry and Ron.

Ron held onto her tightly and buried his head into her hair. "I'd rather my brother had you than anyone else, 'Mione. I know he'd treat you right." He whispered as she nodded.

"Right then," she said, stepping back. "I've got packing to do, and Professor McGonagall should be here after dinner to help me with the charm. You lot want to help me sort through what to take?"

"Take? Why would you take anything?" Ron asked, his eyes looking suspiciously watery.

"Well, if I don't get to marry Fred, than I'm moving out tomorrow and in with my new husband. I might not get to come back." She said sadly.

"Oh.. Well then, yeah we'll help. Spend all the time we can with you now I guess."

"I'll get us some snacks, okay? I'll meet you two up there in 5 minutes." Harry said awkwardly. He quickly backed away in an obvious ploy to get them alone.

"Hermione… are you sure you want to do this? This isn't like all the other stupid shit we've done. Harry and me won't be there to watch your back this time. We'll help however we can but you're basically on your own. I don't see why you've got to throw yourself into the snake pit like this though! You could leave for a bit, and wait for things to calm down a bit first! You don't have to do this!" Emotions were flashing across Ron's face faster than Hermione could read them, but he finally settled on anger and glared at her.

"Ron, I know what I could be getting into. It could be bad, hell it could be terrible. But I won't run from it! If I can't be a witch, than I don't know what I can be. I can't go back into the Muggle world and just pick up where I left off. I'm not that girl anymore. Since I was eleven years old I've wanted to be on the Wizengamot! All of my hopes and dreams and plans for my life have been based around the idea that I would be a witch! I can't just decide that I want to be a Muggle and abandon my friends in the middle of bloody war! I've got to take the chance that things may turn out okay! And if not, if I end up with a Death Eater, then at least I'd be able to do some good as a spy!"

Hermione was panting with exertion by the time she'd finished speaking. She hadn't realized how many reasons she'd had for going through with the marriage before she'd tried to justify it to Ron.

"Okay... I get it. You're going to do this. I don't like it, but I guess I can't stop you. I hope, for your sake, that you get to marry Fred, because that's the only way you'd be able to live the life you want to lead. But if you end up marrying some bastard who doesn't treat you right, than me and Harry will come and rescue you and hex the living snot out of him and you'll just have to cope with living back here again. 'Cause I won't let you stay with some abusive prick who thinks you're his new toy. " Ron said fiercely.

"It'll all be alright in the end. Whatever is supposed to happen will. I won't pretend that it will be a happy ending for everyone but I _know_ that we will win the war; because we've got Harry and You and the Order and everyone on our side. Dumbledore believed in us, and so do I." Hermione said, putting on a brave face.

Ron nodded. "I forgot, I told mum I'd help her clean the Doxy eggs out of the airing cupboard. Be back soon." Ron stood up abruptly, walking to the door.

The door was about to swing shut behind him when it stopped at the last second, and Harry walked through.

"I take it that didn't go well?" he asked, handing her a cauldron cake.

"No, he's rather upset. While I can see why the situation makes him upset, I don't see how he thinks I have another choice! I mean, the only other choice I have is to abandon my life! He can't possibly expect me to just go back to being a Muggle, can he? And then what? When the war is over, just abandon that to go back to being a witch? I can do that!"

"He doesn't expect that. He's just upset with the situation. You know he's had feelings for you for a while. He's always expected that he'd be the one to marry you. I think that the fact that he may lose you to his brother is the hardest part of all. He'd never admit it, but I think that he'd rather you left the magical world than stay and marry another wizard. He'd never admit it to you because he's ashamed of it, but he thinks that if you were trying to be a Muggle, than he could try and date you."

"I always knew he felt that way. And to be honest, I felt that way about him for a while too. But things have changed. I always knew the feelings I'd had for him weren't permanent; he's always been more my best friend. Even when I fancied him, the marriage that I fantasized about was very platonic. We were together but we were best friends still, in a very platonic way, and I think that's why I wanted to marry him.

He's always been safe; he'd treat me right, give me children and be my best friend. I fancied him in the most platonic way possible. But I don't feel that way about Ron anymore. This law has forced me to grow up in ways that I'll never understand. I'll be married in less than 24 hours. And since we all know that wizarding marriages are not easy to dissolve, and its probable that I'll be married for the foreseeable future, I think it's only fair that you try to help Ron find new girlfriend, or at least a girl to get his mind off of me."

Harry thought briefly about making a comment about Ron not fancying Hermione anymore s a joke. but decided that the situation was to grave to be lightened by humor.

"Okay. But you can't abandon us. I want to see at least two letters a week, more if you can manage. Weekly floo calls.. rig something up like the D.A. coins again if you can manage it before you leave. And visit as often as you can manage. I really would like to see you at least three times a week. But that one will have to be worked out after you're married."

"Harry, if it's possible, after I'm married I'll visit every bloody day!" Hermione exclaimed! "I'll try my hardest to see you guys every opportunity I get!" Hermione said.

"I know you'll try, 'Mione. That's not what I meant. It's just… I hate that this is happening! But it'll will all be okay, somehow. If things get to bad we'll get you out no matter what. We love you."

"I know, Harry. It'll all be okay in the end." She smiled up at his concerned face, but it didn't reach her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and they sat like that until they were called for dinner.

* * *

"Okay. It's 2:20, all my things are in my pocket. I'm as ready as I can be. How do I look, Gin?" Hermione asked as she paced across her – no _Ginny's_ bedroom for what she saw as her last time.

"Good. Not too polished like you're dressing up for this, but not sloppy like you don't care about your appearance. You look professional, kind of indifferent to the situation, I guess. It's too bad you can feel like hat too." She said sympathetically. Hermione has spent the entire morning at the first part of the afternoon going through a cycle of changing her clothes, repacking her things, redoing her hair and makeup and freaking out.

"Well I think I'm ready to go now. Promise me that no matter what happens at the wedding, you'll keep quiet. I don't care who is up there at the altar. You have to sit in the pew and keep a straight face and not say a word. Can't let them see fear or it'll be hell form the start. I've got a much better chance if no one knows why I went along with it. If they think I'm part of some plot the Order has cooked up then I'm safe, for a bit." Tears were glistening in her eyes, but she wiped them away furiously.

Ginny reached out and grabbed her hand. She was about to go on reassuring Hermione when there was a knock at the door. Ron opened it slowly, and poked his head around.

"Mum says we've got to leave now Ginny, and she wants your help with the.. dishes" He finished lamely. Ginny nodded and left the room without questioning him, leaving Ron and Hermione standing in tense silence.

"'Mione, about yesterday… I wasn't trying to be a prat. I just.. I thought.. Fuck it. You know that I always figured we'd end up together. And this really buggers up that plan. I don't want to see you with anybody else. But I don't want to never see you again. It'll be hard, but I want to stay friends. This isn't the last time I'll go off on you, I can bloody well promise you that, but promise me that you'll always forgive me?"

The tears that had been in her eyes were now streaming down her face, and she could only nod before throwing her arms around him and openly sobbing. He held her tightly for a moment before she heard another knock. Harry stood in the doorway, and smile slightly t the sight of them.

"We have to go now. We have to be there in less than ten minutes. Can't stretch it any longer." He sighed, and turned to go but Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"You guys are the best friends ever. I love you both and nothing could change that." She led them both down the stairs and into the kitchen where the rest of the Weasley's waited.

She looked around the room at her surrogate family, and wondered what she was going to do if she had to leave. She looked around the room and vowed that she would return here someday soon.

"Alright then, off we are. Let's hope for the best then." Mr. Weasley said as he grabbed a hand full of floo powder from the pot next to the fireplace. He took a deep breath and shouted "Ministry of Magic!", before stepping into the flames.

The rest of the family filed after him until it was only Mars Weasley and Hermione waiting in the kitchen. Hermione stepped up next, and as she was stepping into the fireplace, she heard a muffled sob come out of the older woman's mouth.

"Granger, Hermione!" A short, fat witch called. She slowly got up form the uncomfortable chair she was sitting on and walked towards the desk. A shiny brass plate proclaimed the name Millicent Selwyn. Hermione stood there for a second before clearing her throat.

"Alright then, fill out these forms, and the get into that line up." Selwyn did not look up as she spoke, just thrusted a stack of papers at Hermione. She took the forms and sat back down.

"Forms? They want you to fill out forms?" Ginny asked incredulously. Fred's name was called and he squeezed her arm before being whisked away into another room. Hermione just nodded as she began filling in the boxes. She finished filling out the forms and took a deep breath.

"Well, this is it then, I guess. I'll be married within the hour. Wish me luck!" She said, attempting cheerfulness. She quickly walked over to the line before she got emotional again.

As she waited she looked around the room for a clue as to whom else her husband might be, if not Fred. She glanced at the door just as Lucius Malfoy walked through it. He glanced at her, and smirked before walking into the office behind Selwyn's desk. She turned away and another Ministry witch was in front of her.

"Alright, Granger, you're up next. Just walk through those doors and you'll meet you new husband. You've got a few minutes to talk before the ceremony but make it quick." She walked forward and walked through another set of doors.

As she walked in, Draco Malfoy stood from his chair and looked at her. She felt the panic swell up in her chest and black dots dance across her eyes before everything went black.

* * *

**please review! it's been a while since I read any Dramione, let alone wrote it. But this one was itching to get out, so let me know what you think! **


	2. Innocent

**Alright everyone! I've updated quickly! I hope you're happy with this chapter. I think it could be better, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that. So any constructive criticism is welcome! Also, do Draco and Hemrione seem unbelievable OOC? I mean, there's no way I can write the fic I want to write without changing them a bit but is it at least semi-believable? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Thanks!**

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"Ouch…"

"Are you okay Miss Granger? You fell and hit your head! Must not have eaten much today, eh love?"

Hermione's head was throbbing. She wondered for a moment why she was lying on the floor before it came flooding back to her. Her eyes shot open to reveal an older witch kneeling on the ground beside her and an uncomfortable Draco Malfoy standing off to the side.

"Right... I was feeling a bit light headed this morning." She mumbled, sitting up slowly.

"Well, here, have some chocolate and you'll be right as rain in no time! I'll give you a few more minutes but I really can't push the ceremony back longer than half an hour. So just relax until then." The witch said kindly, as she helped Hermione up and guided her to the chair that Malfoy had been sitting in. She closed the door behind her, leaving Hermione and Malfoy alone.

She stared at the floor, her cheeks red with the embarrassment of fainting in front of Malfoy. They sat in silence for a minute before he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"I didn't think you'd come." He said at last. She glanced over at him, but his face was void of emotion.

"What, would you have expected me to turn tail and flee the Wizarding world? I'm no coward, Malfoy. I'm not like _you._" She snapped.

"I thought for sure that your precious Order would want to keep Potter's best friend out of the hands of Death Eaters, but apparently I over estimated your importance to them." He snapped. They glared at each other for a moment before he sighed.

"I was sure that you wouldn't show up. If I'd have known you were going to come then I wouldn't have shown up myself." He said wearily.

"You knew you were getting me? Oh, but I suppose your bloody father pulled all sorts of strings to get you into this stupid program so you could torture Mudbloods like me. Probably me specifically." She said scathingly.

"I don't doubt that he pulled strings to get me paired up with you, Granger, but I'm in the program the same way you are. You aren't the only one who had a time turner in school." She looked shocked for a brief moment before glaring at him again but he continued to stare at the wall.

"I really wish you had the sense to not to show up today. But I supposed it's your Gryffindor stupidity. I don't particularly want to be married to you, Mudblood."

"Yes, well I've never wanted to marry a bloody Death Eater, Malfoy. But it's a bit late for that now, isn't it? It doesn't matter, though, I don't expect I'll live long anyway." She said bitterly, her eyes filling up with tears. He glanced at her and surprised flashed across his face before he regained control.

"Planning on killing yourself, then? I don't know why, you get the good part of this deal. You get to marry _me_."

"Oh, so you're not going to kill me then Malfoy? I supposed you couldn't get information from a dead person though. So I guess it's going to be rape and torture from here on out. You'll never get anything from me though, I've made sure of that." She hissed, angry with herself for feeling relieved when he implied he wasn't going to kill her.

"Now listen to me, Granger; I'm a bastard, but I'm not a fucking monster. I don't make habit of hurting women and if I want them to sleep with me, they're more than happy to oblige. I don't need to fucking force myself upon them. And don't flatter yourself, I don't want to fuck you anymore than I want to fuck Fudge." He spat, his voice rising and his breath becoming ragged. He was leaning down over her, gripping the arms on her chair.

Hermione was surprised by his outburst and a little frightened, though she tried hard to keep a straight face. She was pressed flat against the back of the chair and he was still hovering over her.

'_Well the asshole seems almost sincere... Maybe he means it.' _

Hermione thought hopefully, before chastising herself; she couldn't believe that Malfoy wasn't going to take advantage of a situation so clearly in his favor.

Malfoy hadn't moved yet but the look on his face had changed, not looking angry anymore but still looking intense. He opened his mouth to say something when the door open and the older witch walked back into the room.

"Alright then dearies, time for the ceremony! Come on then, no time to waste!" She said cheerfully. Malfoy quickly straightened up, but his eyes did not leave her face. This time she could not keep the fear off of her face as she realized that she would only be Hermione Granger for a few more minutes.

She stood up and walked slowly towards the door, barely registering Malfoy's hand at the small of her back guiding her out of the room.

* * *

When asked about the ceremony, Hermione could only remember bits and pieces, almost as if she had been a spectator instead of a participant at her own wedding. She remembered walking in with Malfoy, hearing Ron's cry of outrage and Ginny's choked sob. She remembered Harry looking as though he regret letting her come.

She remembered wondering for a moment why his father was not watching the ceremony when he was in the building at the moment.

She remembered hearing Malfoy say his vows, the way he paused before the line "til death do us part", and the way he gripped her hands firmly enough that it was not obvious that they were shaking violently but loosely so she could take her hands away if she desired.

She remembered the chill that went up her spine as he slipped the Ministry-provided ring onto her left hand.

She remembered how he looked almost remorseful as he leaned down to kiss her, giving her a brief, chaste peck on the lips. When she thought back later that night, the only thing the struck her as out of character was when after the ceremony, he pushed her in the direction of her friends and told her to say good-bye.

"Tell them you'll be gone for two weeks, but you can write to them if you wish." He said quietly. She nodded faintly, not really hearing him. She took two steps before she finally processed his words. Slowly she turned around.

"W-Where are we going?" She asked, her voice shaking with repressed emotion.

"On our honeymoon. Italy, a small Wizarding village near Tuscany. Now hurry up. We must leave soon." He said, his words devoid of any emotion. He continued to stare into the fire instead of making eye contact with her. She walked over to her family.

Harry and Ron reached her at the same time and put their arms around her tightly. They mumbled into her hair about plans for escape and other outlandish ideas. She pulled herself from their arms and turned to the rest.

"He said we'll be in Italy for the next two weeks. On our honeymoon. We'll be near Tuscany. I'll write as often as I can, and maybe I'll be able to visit when we get back." Her voice was still shaky, and her eyes were flat.

"He said he was surprised that I came. He expected me to flee. He doesn't want this either, at least."

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had tears running down their faces, but Hermione did not see them. All she could see was her old life, her old family, being ripped away from her.

"If he touches you, Hermione, or hurts you or anything, you better call me. I mean it, Hermione; don't try to be a hero. I don't want you hurt. One floo call, and we'll get you out. I promise." Harry said, gripping her arms.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be alright. I love you all. Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you guys."

A single tear ran down her face as she turned and walked back to Malfoy. He looked across the room at Harry, and nodded briefly before taking Hermione's arm, throwing some powder into the fire and pulling her close as he stepped into the green flames.

* * *

She stepped out of the fire into a lavishly decorated apartment that could not have been part of the Malfoy Manner. The furnishings were modern and masculine; the apartment was obviously owned by a single Wizard. As soon as both of his feet were on the floor, Malfoy let go of her and disappeared around a corner.

Hermione stood there, unsure of what to do. She thought about exploring but decided that she just wasn't up to it. She sat down at the small round table that sat in the middle of the kitchen and rested her head on her arms. Her lack of sleep, food and the emotional rollercoaster she had been on all day quickly caught up to her and she felt her eyes grow heavy.

Normally she would have been vigilant about staying alert in enemy territory, but couldn't bring herself to care that day. She had signed away her freedom that morning. She was married to a man who would surely laugh at her pain, and revel in her misery.

The fight had left Hermione's body, and she drifted off into a fitful sleep, filled with images of her wedding and the horrors she imagined her marriage would bring.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she abruptly sat up. Malfoy dropped his hand back to his side and stared at her for a second before sitting in the chair opposite hers.

"I was planning on leaving for Italy later tonight, but if you're too tired then we can stay here and set out in the morning. There isn't much food here so we'll have to go out."

"How would we be getting there?"

"Apparition. Since it's such a far destination it does take quite a bit of energy, so if you are too tired then we'll spend the night here. " He said, talking in circles. She could tell that he had something else to say that he was not going to enjoy.

"Well if I eat something before we leave I'll be fine."

"Alright… how much, exactly, do you know about Wizarding marriages and what they entail?" He asked evenly, staring pointedly at the napkin holder on the table.

"Just what the letter stated. Marriage laws have never interested me before." She said bitterly.

"So you know that the marriage isn't valid until it is consummated? And that when we signed the marriage license we signed a binding magical contract, agreeing to the terms of this law?"

"Yes, Malfoy. I have to sleep with you three fucking times a week. I know this, there's no need to remind me!" She snapped.

He glared up at her, for a moment before turning back to the napkin holder.

"Oh it's much more than that, Granger. I thought you of all people would read the bloody fine print. This law was designed to break your spirit and it looks up to the task. You basically signed away your life today." He stood and walked around the corner. He returned a few moments later with a roll of parchment in his hand, and he tossed it on the table in front of her.

"Read it. That's the terms you agreed to today. Maybe if you'd have read it ahead of time you would have had the fucking good sense not to show up!" He growled before stalking off again.

Hermione unrolled the scroll carefully and began to read.

"_Must surrender all assets… Must submit to their Pureblood spouse… Will be subject to regular inspections and examinations…Must produce children… Inferior children produced may be euthanized or put into a Ministry group home…"_

Inferior children produced may be euthanized. If the children that she was being forced to have weren't good enough for the Ministry they'd be killed or taken away. She stopped reading after that. She couldn't comprehend that the children she didn't know she wanted, and hadn't even conceived yet, were going to be taken away from her.

Malfoy walked back into the room and looked at her. She saw pity in his eyes for a brief moment before he looked away.

"If you're crying about the inferior children bit, then stop. You wouldn't have to worry about that. No child of mine could ever be considered inferior."

"Ahh, but the child would also be half mine, and since I'm obviously a lesser human than you, it could be!" she snapped. He hadn't sounded mocking but she was quickly losing control of her anger.

"I'm a Malfoy, and now so are you. You're actually lucky to married me. Even though you no longer have free will, you're above the rest of the muggleborns because you're a Malfoy now, too." He barely acknowledged her outburst.

"Oh you're right. Now I'm your slave! So what are you going to have me do first Master?" She yelled wildly, jumping up and knocking her chair over. He opened his mouth to speak but before the words came out she threw the napkin holder at him, narrowly missing his head.

He shot up and grabbed her, slamming her into the wall behind him and pinning her hands above her head.

"Listen up, Granger, because I'm only going to say this once. If you ever fucking try that again, we'll have a fucking problem. I don't hurt women but if you keep this shit up there will have to be fucking consequences. I have done nothing to you yet, so stop fucking screaming." Their bodies were pressed together, his breath washing over her face.

"Now we signed a binding magical contract today, and we're going to fucking stick to it: unless you want some horny old Ministry official coming to watch us have sex. Because that's what they mean when they say they'll send a chaperone. It'll be better for both of us if you _just bloody well go along with it_."

"There is no way you can win here, Granger. There is no fucking Dumbledore to let you off. If you don't like it, you go to Azkaban! If you want to go then I won't stop you, I'll write them right now and you can be in a cell tonight; but I sure as hell won't go through all of the rest of it first!"

Hermione whimpered as his grip her hands grew tightened to the point of pain, and he stepped back. She rubbed her wrists and glared at him, having no effect whatsoever.

"I won't let you fuck this up. As you can see, I'm not living in the Manor anymore. At the moment my father isn't going to go out on a limb to save my ass, so we're going to follow this law right from the start, or I'll have them send you to Azkaban today so you don't drag me down with you!"

"I know that you couldn't possibly comprehend this, but it's not exactly easy to just lay down and give up your freedom, Malfoy!" Hermione realized as she spoke that she had lost her nerve. Her words were bold, but her voice was broken. She hadn't accepted her fate so much as she realized her helplessness.

She quickly pushed past Malfoy into the rest of the apartment, searching for a room that she could be alone in.

She looked behind many closed doors before finding a rather large bathroom. She sank down onto the toilet seat and bawled her eyes out. She had thought she was brave enough to handle the situation but reality was quickly coming down around her.

All the brave things she had said to Ron and Harry and Ginny were lies; she wasn't ready for this. She sat in the bathroom for what felt like hours before she heard a knock on the door. She looked in the mirror and saw puffy red eyes and a runny nose but she opened the door anyway. His face held no sign of their earlier fight.

"There's food out here. If we want to leave tonight then you should eat now; if not, then you should still eat now. You'll need your energy either way."

"We'll still leave tonight. I'll eat quickly and then we can go." She said curtly, staring at the ground. He stood aside and motioned her ahead of him. She filed past him, still not making eye contact.

She sat in the same spot as before, and Malfoy handed her takeout plate of food. She ate as much as she could but it was still less than half of what he'd given her. She set down her fork and he stood. He grabbed a small package off of the counter and turned to her.

"Have you ever gone anywhere by side-along apparition before?"

"No, just by portkey and floo."

"This is a bit different from normal side-along apparition. It's much easier to splinch yourself, so you have to hold on tightly or you might end up in a different place than me." Malfoy extended his arm and she walked towards it. Before she could protest he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing her face into his chest, and turned on the spot.

She felt like she was being shoved through a tube that was much too small for her. The air left her lungs and she tried to breathe but felt like there was no air. Just as though she thought she would pass out, the sensation stopped. She was greedily gasping for air, and was on the verge of passing out but she knew she was standing on solid ground.

Malfoy's arm was holding her up and she could feel his nose touching her ear before her knees gave out. He half carried her through a door and to a chair, then pushed her head in between her legs. When she felt the clanging in her ears subside she sat up and felt his hand move.

"Better?"

"Yes… thanks." Hermione was completely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. She finally looked around the room she was in. She was in the kitchen of what she assumed was a villa, and it was gorgeous. Real wooden cabinets and furniture, beautiful cream walls and marble floors.

"We should have stayed. Apparating used up most of your energy." He said, with a tinge of irritation in his voice. Malfoy reached into his pocket and came out with the package, which he tapped with his wand to enlarge until it became a small trunk.

He reached in and withdrew a bottle of red liquid, which she thought was Pepper-Up potion. He conjured a glass and poured a few mouthfuls in before handing it to her. The peppery smell confirmed her guess.

"Drink, you'll need your strength." His voice had lost all emotion again. She had noticed that he did this whenever he didn't like what he was talking about.

Hermione began to sip the potion, wondering why she'd need her strength before it dawned on her and she choked on the potion. Consummation.

"T-Tonight?" She asked, eyes wide.

"It'll be easier in the dark than in the light, Granger, and we've only got 7 hours of darkness left; most of which I'd like to be sleeping. Unless you'd like to watch?" He said without any venom in his voice. She gulped down the rest of the potion quickly and before she could set the glass on the table he was filling it again, this time with a liquid that was almost like liquid gold.

"Firewhiskey." He said curtly, taking a rather large swig from the bottle himself. She tried to chug the whiskey but she gagged, so she sipped the rest of it. Thinking she needed courage more than energy to get through the rest of the night she held out her glass again, but this time he only half filled it.

"I don't sleep with drunk girls." He said. "Will this be your... first time?"

She shyly nodded and he closed his eyes, as if in prayer. "Well then we'll try to make this quick and painless then."

She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but the thoughts in her head were spinning around so fast that she couldn't hold onto any. She thought of every boy she'd ever liked and the different ways she had fantasized sleeping with them. The Hermione in her dreams was always nervously excited before her first time, a stomach full of butterflies. The real Hermione was sad and confused and scared.

She thought of Viktor Krum, how besotted they'd been while he was at Hogwarts. He never pressured her to sleep with him, but had liked to tell her about how wonderful it would be and how beautiful she was. She knew that he would have been a very considerate lover, had she ever chose to sleep with him.

Then her mind wandered towards thoughts of Ron, and she felt a pang of regret that they had missed their chance. She knew instinctively that had she ever slept with him it would have been a clumsy attempt, but that they would have laughed at the awkwardness as only best friends could. They would have been comfortable.

For the first time, she allowed herself to imagine what sleeping with Draco Malfoy would be like. If she had been asked yesterday what have sex with Malfoy would be like, she would have said he'd be brutal; only looking to satisfy himself at any cost. Today she wasn't so sure. He'd been, if not a gentleman, than at least as polite to her as she'd been to him. He didn't look like he was going to hurt her, at any rate.

"Come." He said, getting up from the table and walking back into the cottage. The Firewhiskey bottle was empty. She felt the tears that had been glistening in her eyes begin to fall down her cheeks. He stopped in front of what she assumed to be the bedroom and he turned to look at her. He stiffened at the sight of her tears.

"Please don't cry, Granger. I already feel like a fucking rapist as it is. This is a shitty situation, but we're stuck. I promise I won't hurt you." He said through gritted teeth. She nodded and followed him into the dimly room.

Malfoy slipped his robes off of his shoulders and let them fall to the floor. Hermione's blood ran cold as she realized that she was wearing jeans under her robes and she would have to take them off in front of Malfoy, but she began to undo her robes anyway.

They pooled around her feet and then her shaking hands went to her jeans. Malfoy glanced over as he stood in front of her in nothing but his boxers. He crossed the room and extinguished the only torch, leaving them in darkness but for the moonlight, and she felt a trickle of relief that he wouldn't be able to see her.

She slid her jeans and underwear off, and walked over to the bed. She sat on the edge, uncomfortable with her nudity and unsure of what to do. He walked towards her, naked this time, with a small bottle in his hand.

"Lie back in the middle." He said quietly. She scooted back and put her head on a pillow while he grabbed another. "Lift your hips, this will make it more comfortable for you." As she followed his instructions he kneeled beside her shut legs and placed the over stuffed pillow beneath her bum.

"There's not much else we can do to make this bearable, Granger. We'll use lubricant but I'm… larger… than most men so there will be more discomfort than you might be expecting. Just tell me if I'm hurting you."

With that he moved in front of her and gently spread her thighs. He grabbed the bottle from the bedside table and poured some in his hand. She watched him coat his member in it and then she noticed his size.

'_Apparently he was being fucking modest when he said larger.'_

He held out the bottle to her, "Would you prefer to do this yourself?" and she nodded and took it with shaking hands. Her cheeks burned as she spread the slick substance onto her most private place in front of Malfoy. The room was too dark to see his face but she told herself that he was looking away.

She set the bottle back on the bedside table and took a deep breath.

"Ready?"

"Just do it." She whispered.

He leaned forward and positioned himself at her entrance, bracing himself on the bed to minimize physical contact. He took a deep breath and slowly began to push into her, barely an inch before he pulled out and started over.

Tears were running down her face again, but she tried not to make a sound. He wasn't hurting her physically but emotionally she'd never felt more violated.

He continued to inch into her for a few minutes before he met resistance, her hymen.

"This part will be less painful if we get it over with quickly." He panted, his head touching her shoulder. She could tell that he was working hard to restrain himself by the thin layer of sweat that covered his body. She nodded her acceptance, afraid to open her mouth.

He pulled all the way out over she before thrusting back in until she felt his pelvis press against hers. The sharp pain from her hymen tearing only lasted a minute, and she'd cried out in shock. Once it subsided she felt uncomfortably stretched, almost as if she was too full.

"Just get used to the size. It'll take a moment. Tell me when your ready." He said through gritted teeth. His head was still resting on her shoulder, his entire body rigid. Once most of the discomfort was gone she whispered, "Ready.", and he began to move again.

The hard part was over. There was no more pain as he gently thrust in and out of her but she kept her eyes squeezed shut. She felt like she had been lying there for hours before his movements became slightly jerky. She knew it was almost over.

He pushed himself all the way into her and shuddered as he came, pressing his face into her shoulder once again. He stayed inside her for a few moments as he collected his breath before pulling out and rolling to the edge of the bed. He sat for another long morning before reaching down and grabbing his robes from the floor.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight." He said as he stood. When he reached the doorway he paused for a long moment.

"I'm sorry."

He'd said it so quietly that she wasn't sure if she'd really heard it at all. He closed the door behind him and she once again dissolved into tears as she mourned the loss of her innocence. That last thing she remembered thinking was that her life could never possibly be the same.

* * *

**Okay! So specific questions I have for you guys. How's the sex scene. I actually found that part really hard, because I didn't want to make it smutty or racy because Hermione is being forced to sleep with him. But I also didn't want to use really proper words because then I think it detracts from the story. So definitely let me know what you think!**

**So my boss is out of the office until April 27 so definitely expect another update before then, possibly even two! PLEASE REVIEEEEEW!**


	3. Understanding

**A/N: Hey! Sorry about the delay. My shitty old PC has finally gone to PC heaven, along with the first half of the original Chapter 3 for Trapped. And while normally, I would be able to type quite a bit at work, especially with my boss on an extended business trip, his wife decided she wanted to use his office, a.k.a. breath down my neck for two weeks. But my new Macbook Pro was delivered and I spent the last 7 hours typing up this lovely new chapters, and ready some very unhappy reviews and PM's. But since I like you guys, I got it up here as fast as I could even though I'm not particularly happy with it. I think I should have split this chapter into two, because the characters seem OOC, even for this story, but it fits into my plot so don't give up on us. I hope everyone is doing well and please review. I always want to know what people think of my stories!**

* * *

Hermione woke up with a splitting headache. Her body felt like it had gone ten rounds with the Whomping Willow, it ached so much. She slowly sat up and took stock of her surroundings. The bedroom was painted a pleasant shade of blue, almost like robins eggs and the furniture was the same solid oak she saw in the kitchen. She slowly got out of bed and reached for her jeans.

When she finished dressing, she grabbed her shrunken trunk out of the pocket of her robes and enlarged it. After grabbing her toiletry kit and fresh clothes she went in search of a bathroom. The bathroom turned out to be the room across from her bedroom and was quite modest by Wizarding standards. It was small and painted pale yellow, with plain looking toilet, sink and bathtub.

Hermione turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature before undressing and climbing in. The heat was soothing on her sore body an she wanted to stay for hours but she knew that the heat would soon tighten her muscles, making her more sore than before. She slowly began washing her hair, taking time to carefully deep condition and add her anti-frizz potion. She forced herself to leave the shower and began to dry off.

Normally she would magic her hair dry to save time in the morning even though it made dry and prone to frizz, no matter what potions she used; but since she was trying to stall on going to see Malfoy, she took her time to brush it out properly to air dry. 45 minutes later her stomach grumbled and she went out to face Malfoy.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw Malfoy sitting at the table and she felt the panic and dread and violation she had felt the night before race through her body. Her eyes got blurry and she felt light headed for a second before she blinked away the tears and sank into a chair at the table.

_'You're a bloody Gryffindor, Granger. Pull yourself together! This is no time to go all girly and emotional!'_ She thought, irritated at her reaction to Malfoy. She calmed enough to look over at him and saw he was looking at her warily, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Breakfast is on the counter." He said before looking back down at the newspaper in front of him. She took another deep breath before grabbing the plate of eggs and toast off of the counter and sitting back down at the table.

They sat in silence, her eating and him reading, for ten minutes. She put her clean plate in the sink and was about to go back to the bedroom when Malfoy sighed and began to speak.

"We need to go into the village today. You need to get more appropriate clothing and such for when we get back to Britain."

"Appropriate clothing? For what?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Appropriate for a Malfoy. For all intents and purposes you have to look and act like a Malfoy bride. They expect me to abuse you in private, not public. And we need to discuss the parameters of this… marriage." He added distastefully.

"The village is a twenty minute walk, and we can talk on the way. Would you like to get changed?" He asked, eyeing her cut-off jeans shorts, plain blue t-shirt and white flip-flops. He was wearing navy blue robes, made of a lighter material for the summer weather.

"Should I? The only robes I've ever needed were my school robes, so they're all I have. I've got other muggle clothing but it's summer, so it all looks like this." She said, suddenly self-conscious. The clothing was fairly modest by muggle standards; the shorts hitting mid thigh and the shirt covering her whole midriff.

"We're buying you clothing so I guess it doesn't matter. Just go like this for now." He sighed, opening the door and motion for her to walk out before him.

She stepped out into the bright sunlight and was momentarily stunned by the beauty of the Italian seaside. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed the beautiful ocean before now, the waves providing a steady, soothing background noise. Their villa was set about 100 feet back from the shore, with nothing but white sand between them.

She wondered for a moment how she missed this last night before she realized that Malfoy must have apparated them right onto the deck, which was sizable.

Turning around, she saw that the view behind the villa was vastly different; rocky cliffs, hills and forests filled with pines and oaks surrounded them. It was all breathtaking.

"We're in Castiglioncello. My grandfather's old cabin. The village is up this road." She followed him as he walked out to the road. She stared in awe at the beauty of the place around her. She was startled when his hand waved in front of her face.

"You have to bloody listen, Granger! We've got a lot to discuss today, all of which directly impacts you. First off, I have a reputation to keep. No one really knows why I moved out of the Manor; everyone assumes it's something to do with me wanting a place to bring girls or something stupid like that."

I had an argument with my father, and my mother decided that staying in the Manor would probably endanger me so I moved into the flat in Diagon Alley. My father suspects that I'm regretting taking the mark, in an abstract way; my mother said that he believes I feel overwhelmed, but that I will quickly adjust to my new responsibilities and rise to the occasion."

He was staring straight ahead, and spoke without emotion. Hermione was not sure if he wanted her to speak or not so she remained silent.

"He tried to force me into agreeing with him. The torture was immensely painful but only it barely worked. In a way, he was right; I don't disagree openly anymore. I have no desired to be tortured again. I no longer have an opinion of his lifestyle."

The only reason I'm telling you this is that on the outside, in public, I have to be a bastard. The general public has to believe that I'm treating you as a Mudblood sex slave when we're alone, but you still have to act like a proper Malfoy wife in public. I don't care what you tell Potter and Weasley, so long as they keep acting normal. You have to act the part."

"So I have to act like you treat me terribly, but still like a stuck-up pureblood wife? How am I supposed to do both?" She asked, bewildered. "I'm not being sarcastic, Malfoy, I don't know how to do both. I either act like a snob or like a puppy who's been kicked. I don't know how to be a snobby battered wife."

"You couldn't pull off stuck-up, Granger. Calm, proper and terrified of me. You have to be obedient, and not ever question me in public. You have to act like a prisoner. You'll have a month and a half to get it right, but you have to be prepared for when we go back to Britain.

We've got two weeks alone, and my father will be checking up on us as soon as we get back, to see what how I've treated you. He won't expect you fully broken, I don't think, but he'll want fear, bruises and humiliation. We will both be killed if we don't pull it off. I can fake the bruises but most of this acting is on your part. We'll worry about that later though."

"You will have to attend events with me over the summer, most of them charity fundraisers and ministry galas, where you'll have to be seen and not heard. You can't try and champion flubberworm rights or whatever your stupid cause is. You just smile and nod and make innocuous small talk to the wives."

"House-elves. I want rights for house-elves. And I'm not stupid, Malfoy, if I'm supposed to be the picture of terrified obedience in public I'm hardly going to speak to anyone at all."

"Why would house-elves want rights?" Malfoy asked, annoyed. "They like cooking and cleaning and gardening. Merlin, my mother has to send my elf to Hogwarts with me every year because Tilly can't bear to let anyone else do my laundry."

"You have your own elf? I thought Dobby was your family's elf, and Harry set him free in second year!"

"Dobby was my father's personal elf. The manor is huge, it would be difficult for one elf to do all the cleaning properly and then it wouldn't have time to cook. We've got 4 elves. Tilly is my elf, Mopsy is my mother's, Bibby is my father's and Dorrie is the family elf."

"You each have your own slave? That's despicable. They don't get wages, or holidays and they get have to punish themselves if they make a mistake. It's cruel and inhumane and--"

"They aren't human. And they like it. Who do you think made breakfast this morning? My elf, who was ecstatic to be told that I was taking her on a trip to Italy with me and who is delighted to have a new mistress. Tilly doesn't want wages or holidays or any of that tosh. If I told her I didn't want her to cook for me one day, she'd cry and assume that I didn't like her cooking. Elves like to work!"

"But that's not important. Don't change the subject Granger, the elf stays and unless you want to do the cooking, then I suggest you let it go."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms but didn't push the subject. She knew that in this situation she would have to choose her battles very carefully and she was still surprised at how civil Malfoy was being. They continued walking up the road in silence for a few more minutes before she could seen a small village in the distance.

"We aren't friends, Granger, by any stretch of the imagination and I sincerely doubt we ever will be; but we are married now, and unless this law is dissolved, we will be until one of us dies. A certain amount of civility is required or we will drive each other insane. We are on different sides of the war but I propose a truce. I'll do my best to keep you out of harms way and treat you as well as I can and you don't put me in danger by passing information to the Order that leads directly back to me." He looked over at her as he finished, and she nodded hesitantly.

"I suppose that's fair. There's not much else I can ask of you. God, this situation is completely fucking ridiculous!" She sighed, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. She stared at the ocean along side her until the forest surrounding the village hid the water from her view.

They turned off of the road and stepped into what appeared to be an abandoned bookstore. Malfoy led her to the back of the store and tapped his wand on the last book of the third highest shelf. The book case folded in on it's self until a door appeared and he led her through it.

They stepped out into a place that reminded her of Diagon Alley vaguely, but was much smaller and prettier. Rows of shops lined the street, but she could only tell what a few of them sold.

"What do we have to buy today?" Hermione asked, staring at a real bookstore with interest.

"Various things. Clothing, for one. Some things to amuse you, because you will be spending a lot of time on your own this summer. Some of the more rare potions ingredients. Many things. We'll start with the clothes, since you obviously need them."

* * *

They spent 5 hours shopping, and Hermione couldn't figure out for the life of her how most girls found that fun. The only part of the day she had enjoyed was the bookstore, and even there she had been limited to the English and French sections of the store since she didn't speak Italian very well.

She was surprised at the amount of money that Malfoy had spent on her. He had brought her to a high-end clothing shop and began speaking to the seamstress is rapid Italian. Hermione had been quickly measured and the witch had set off gathering things for her to try on. If Malfoy liked it, she put it in one pile, and if now she discarded it. Hermione ended up with 8 sets of day robes (4 winter and 4 summer), one set of dress robes, 4 evening gowns, 2 cloaks (again, winter and summer), a bunch of under wear, three new pairs of shoes, and one pair of winter boots.

From there they had gone to the apothecary, the owl emporium, the sweetshop and a quill store buying various odds and ends for the both of them. They then went to the bookstore where they ended up buying 2 dozen books for Hermione to read, including one to teach her Italian.

In the Quidditch shop, Malfoy had bought himself new gloves and a practice snitch. He had also taken her to a beauty shop, again conferring with the owner as to what she needed. She got her hair cut for the first time in years and they left that shop with a hefty bag of magical hair potions, make-up and other toiletries. Their last stop was to a liquor store where Malfoy bought three cases of something.

"I don't think I needed all of that Malfoy. I don't wear make-up and it takes hours to make my hair decent in the mornings so I hardly ever bother with that either." All of their packages were shrunken and in Malfoy's pocket as he led her back towards the door they had come in through.

"You're forgetting you have a public image now, Granger. The make up and hair things are mostly for when we have to go to special events. But you'll have to wear make-up when you go out, or use glamour charms to at least give the appearance that you are hiding bruises.

"You still have to try and look your best when you go out though, as part of the act. The only thing that you got to that were not absolutely necessary to your act were the books, and I consider those necessary for my sanity." He smirked. "I can only imagine what you'd be like if you had nothing productive to do."

The walked out of the abandoned bookstore, and Malfoy stopped.

"Do you need anything from the Muggle part of the village?"

She thought to herself, mentally listing what she'd brought before shaking her head. They began to walk out of the village.

"So… I never finished reading the papers you gave me. What exactly does this law entail?" Hermione asked tentatively.

She had been thinking about it the whole time they had been shopping. Every time Malfoy paid for something for her, she was reminded that he was her provider now. She knew that she everything she owned was now his, including herself and that scared her. She was afraid of knowing what else the law affected for her, but she was even more afraid of not knowing.

"The papers were vague on the rules any way. Most of what I know is what I've heard. The rings are charmed. I think they track how often we sleep together and if we are faithful but I'm not entirely sure. The inspections are basically to see how we live, and scare you in to compliance. I think they're also a kind of safeguard to legitimately throw you into prison if they think you're dangerous to their cause. The surprise inspections are going to be our biggest problem. I'm fairly certain that I'd be told of any 'surprise' investigations because of who my father is but if not, then we have to be prepared at all times."

"Do they think I'm dangerous?" She asked, keeping her eyes averted and voice level.

"They think you're a person of interest. Most of the muggleborns in the program are. They'll be watching you closely though, because you're friends with Potter. The law has many purposes, I'm not sure I even know them all. This is the easiest way for them to keep track of muggleborns, make sure they aren't getting involved in the resistance effort. The purebloods who are rebelling against the Dark Lord have been matched up with muggleborns who aren't trustworthy."

"The rest can wait. There's one last thing we need to discuss." His voice had taken on the same flat emotionless tone he used when he was uncomfortable, she noticed.

"What?"

"Sex. As much as neither of us wants to sleep with the other, we have to. And I've been thinking that it would be easiest if we slept together 3 times in one day, instead of spreading it out over the week. That way we could have 6 normal days a week and one..." Malfoy had started off talking steadily, and then rushed his words before trailing off, unable to think of a way to finish his sentence.

Hermione knew her cheeks were burning and she was staring at the ground again. She did agree with him though. If they could get the other two times over with today, then they wouldn't have to touch each other again until next Friday.

"We could finish up this week's... coupling... today and be free until next Friday. But will it work? I mean, I understand that it can be quite tiring for men..." A new wave of embarrassment flushed her cheeks. She couldn't believe she just questioned Malfoy's virility.

"If you're questioning my performance abilities, Granger, I assure you I'll have no problems." He replied coolly, the barest hint of annoyance in his voice.

They walked the last 5 minutes in silence before reaching the villa and walking inside. Malfoy took out the handful of shrunken packages and began enlarging them. Hermione quickly took her things and put them in her new trunk. It amazed her how much she had now. Going to Hogwarts for 6 years, she had more or less lived out of her school trunk for the since she was 11. When she was at her parent's house she never really unpacked, always fearing a nosy friend or relative might wonder why she had a cauldron or a spell book.

As she put all her purchases away, she felt apprehensive and vaguely guilty about their relatively easy attitudes while shopping earlier. She may have called a truce with Malfoy, but she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. She appreciated his consideration but for all she knew it really could be part of a bigger plan to gain her trust. Still, she would be forever grateful for the way he treated her the day before. If he had wanted to break her easily, last night would have been the time.

Hermione sighed and vowed to keep her guard up while living with Malfoy. The last thing she needed to do was get too comfortable around him and make herself vulnerable.

Her stomach grumbled as she realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was well past lunchtime. She decided to write a quick letter to Harry and Ron before going and making herself something to eat. She pulled out a roll of parchment and paused as she thought of what to write.

_Dear Harry and Ron_

_I'm fine! So stop worrying! Yesterday went as well as it possibly could have and nothing bad has happened yet. Malfoy has been surprisingly polite since we got here. I'm not sure how much of his act I believe but we've called a sort of truce. Constant Vigilance, as Mad-Eye would say, though. I'll be careful. Italy is gorgeous and the weather here is great! I really, really wish I was with you guys though._

_There's not much else to say, I haven't been here long enough for anything to happen yet. I'll write you again when something letter worthy happens! Give my love to everyone!_

_Oh, The marriages! I completely forgot, who did Fred and George end up getting paired with? Anybody else we know get married?_

_Lots of Love,_

_Hermione_

She tried to keep the letter as cheery as possible, and gloss over the wedding night details for fear that Harry and Ron would jump on their brooms and try to fly to Italy to rescue her. She rolled up the letter and paused as she realized that she didn't have an owl to send the post with, before remembering Malfoy tell her she could write her friends. Presumable he had an owl here or a way to send letters somehow. She walked through the house before seeing him lying on the beach, in nothing but his swimming trunks.

She stepped out onto the deck, and smiled as she felt the sunlight on her face. She walked towards where he was laying on a towel, and called his name. He didn't so much as look at her and she felt vaguely annoyed before she saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing even. She turned to go back inside when she heard his sleepy voice.

"S'there a problem, Granger?" He yawned.

"No, I was just wondering if you have an owl I could use. I just wanted to send my friends a quick note, saying I'm alright." He smiled sleepily up at her, probably the first real smile she'd ever seen from him.

"Potter and Weasley probably think I've chopped you up and fed you to Manticores by now. Can't use regular owls though. Too far, it'd take them a week to make it there. There's an Owl Office in the village though. They can floo owls between countries. I'll take you back over there later."

"Okay… Thanks, then." She said, as he rolled over onto his stomach and rested his head on his arms to go back to sleep.

She didn't know why his smile caught her so off guard, especially considering how courteous he had been in the last 24 hours. She shook her head and walked back inside to make herself lunch.

* * *

Hermione had spent the most of the afternoon reading a French Herbology book on the deck, aside from their uneventful trip back to the post office hours ago. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, and it was making it difficult to read. She got up and wandered inside.

A small elf was standing on a chair in front of the stove stirring a pot. Hermione cleared her throat and the elf spun around and jumped off the chair.

"Oh, Miss, you must be Mistress Hermione! You's my new mistress. I is Tilly and I is very, very happy be here to take care of yous! Is there anything Tilly can get you?" Tilly's squeaky voice was almost musical.

"Erm.. no, I'm fine. Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, looking around the kitchen. There was enough food for a family of 6 at the table, the dishes in the sink were washing themselves, and a cloth was dancing around on the counters, cleaning them while doing the Foxtrot.

Tilly looked at her with a mixture of horror, sadness and fear.

"Does Mistress not like what Tilly cooked? I's can make you something else! And the kitchen will be very clean for dinner, Tilly promises!" Hermione cringed as Tilly's eyes began to fill with tears, and she felt terrible for upsetting the elf.

"Tilly, Granger is muggleborn. She doesn't understand house-elves very well. She thinks you all want vacations and money and clothes and someone else to do the housework. She's not trying to be mean. She's just irrational." Malfoy's voice came from the door behind Hermione.

Hermione couldn't stand that she had made Tilly cry so she just vigorously nodded.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Tilly! I'm sorry. It's just, in the muggle world, we pay our household staff and give them days off and such. They like that." She said meekly.

Tilly dried her eyes and looked at Hermione warily.

"Tilly can help Mistress Hermione learn about what house-elfs is liking."

"Erm.. Yes, of course! I'd love that, Tilly. I'll just go freshen up before dinner, than, shall I?" Hermione's cheeks were bright red as she hurried out of the kitchen. She could hear Malfoy's deep laughter ring out behind her and it only furthered her embarrassment.

She grabbed fresh clothing from he bedroom and went to take a quick shower. She put her hair up in a bun on her head to keep it from getting wet and took off her clothing. She stepped under the warm spray and sighed in pleasure. She loved showers.

After quickly washing her body she wrapped herself in a towel and washed her face. She let her hair down and dressed in comfortable yoga pants and a t-shirt. She walked back out into the kitchen and was overwhelmed by the smells of good food around her.

Malfoy was already seated at the table, with an open bottle of wine in front of him. She sat opposite him and stared in amazement at Tilly. The little elf hopped up onto a chair and poured Hermione a glass of wine before vanishing with a loud popping noise.

Hermione began to fill her plate with food. Tilly had cooked up a veritable feast of roast beef, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, yorkshire puddings, and fresh rolls. She ate with gusto, not realizing how hungry she was until she took her first bite.

They ate in silence, not companionable, but not awkward either. There was a tension in the air and for a moment she wasn't sure why, before it dawned on her: they would have to have sex again tonight.

She felt her dinner try to come back up but took deep breaths to calm herself. When she was sure she wouldn't throw up, she drained her wine glass and poured herself another. Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her but chose not to comment. She drank slower this time, but still finished her wine in a few minutes. A humorless smile crept on to Malfoy's face.

"Tilly, I think Hermione would like an after-dinner drink. Bring us out a bottle of whiskey."

"Yes Sir, Master Draco, Sir!" The elf appeared out of nowhere as soon as he spoke her name and popped out for the seconds, before appearing again with a bottle of Firewhiskey and two tumblers.

Tilly poured them both a glass and began to clear the table. Malfoy stood up and motioned her to do the same. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and turned to the elf.

"Dinner was good, Tilly. You may retire after you clean the kitchen."

"Oh, thank you, Master Draco, Sir! Tilly was happy to do it. Good Night, Master Draco, Mistress Hermione!" The elf nodded happily as kitchen items began to clean and dance around her.

Malfoy led her out of the kitchen and into the living room, much to her relief. There were two wingback chairs and a couch in the room. They each took a chair, wanting to avoid the closeness a couch provided. Malfoy set the bottle of whiskey down on the table between them and sipped his drink. They sat in silence and drank for almost an hour before Malfoy spoke.

"I sincerely hope this is easier than last night." His words startled her. She hadn't really thought of the emotional toll last night had had on him. Though the more Hermione thought, the more she realized that he had gone through as much as she had last night. More when you considered the fact that he tried hard to make it easier on her.

She realized suddenly that it would be easier tonight. Most of her fears for last night were based on how the thought Malfoy would treat her, but he was a perfect gentleman about the whole thing. He acted much more maturely last night than she had herself.

"Yes, I think it will be easier than last night. At least for me. And if I'm not bawling my eyes out, then that's got to make it easier on you then, yeah?" His laugh startled her, and she realized that she was a bit tipsy.

"Granger, you made a joke! I didn't know you knew how!" He said. A little bit of the tension eased out of the room as they laughed together. She finished her whiskey and stood up, stretching her arms over her head. Malfoy stared at her for a moment before standing abruptly. They locked eyes and all traces of their friendly moment vanished as the tension set back in.

"We'd better get this over with then. 5 free days after this!" She said, trying to force some of the good humor back into her voice.

"Might as well then." He walked into the bedroom, and dimmed the lights again. The room was as dark as it had been the night before, and that comforted Hermione.

She took a deep breath, and calmly began to strip again. Her hands shook a little, but there were no tears in her eyes this time. She walked over the to the bed at the same time as Malfoy. She climbed onto the bed and crawled over to the middle as Malfoy handed her the pillow to place beneath her hips.

He handed her the lubricant and she spread it on her sex, feeling a fraction of the mortification that she felt the night before. This time was much easier than last night. She still felt embarrassed and angry and sad, but she also felt detached from those emotions; the people who put her in this situation made her feel that way, not the person with her.

She set the bottle of lubricant on the bedside table and laid back. Malfoy crawled over in front of her, and she parted her legs for him. In the moonlight, she saw the shock on his face for a moment before he kept moving. He pulled the sheet up over them as he place his hands at her hips and positioned his member at her entrance.

"Are you ready?" He whispered.

"Yes."

And he pushed into her. She felt him inching his way in, pushing in a little bit before pulling out, getting a little further each time. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable. She gasped when he was finally fully inside her. She could feel his body was rigid with restraint again, and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Tell me when." He gritted out. She took a deep breath and felt the tips of her breasts brush against his heaving chest. The contact startled her and she jumped a little bit, pressing herself against him again. Malfoy's body tensed even more, and she remembered that he was trying to stay in control. She tried to relax me muscles and found the discomfort was mostly gone.

"I'm ready." She squeaked, and almost giggled when she felt his harsh sigh of relief. _'Must be a bit more tipsy than I thought if I think this is funny.' _She thought.

He began moving slowly, thrusting in an out of her with a steady rhythm. She tried not to think about what they were doing but with sex on her mind, all of her thoughts circled around it.

She could see how sex could be thoroughly enjoyable, if they made it that way. This was arrangement, almost a business transaction. It wasn't beautiful, or loving or pleasurable because Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were not attracted to each other. They were fulfilling the contract they signed, that was it..

She was drawn out of her abstract thought by his movements becoming jerkier. He was close. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her to him more firmly as he moved faster. He drew in a sharp breath as he came and his body went slack above her. His head went to her shoulder as he calmed his haggard breathing. After a moment, he slipped out of her and rolled on to his back.

"You sure you're okay to do this again tonight, Granger?"

His consideration startled her. He must not have realized that tonight was infinitely better for her than last night had been. She was able to detach herself from her emotions enough to see that it wasn't what either of them wanted, but it was what they got. Seeing Malfoy as a victim as well had stopped her from sinking into the pit of self pity that had consumed her the day before.

"I'm fine to go again tonight. That was… much easier than I expected it to be. Though that could be the alcohol talking. Either way though, I'm good." She rambled. She couldn't believe how normal she sounded. As If she wan't half naked, in bed with a fully naked Malfoy. He didn't say anything for a minute after she spoke, so she sat up and lit the torch in the room.

He had the strangest look on his face. Exhaustion, incredulity, curiosity and astonishment all mixed in his face. He looked kind of dumbfounded, so much that she did giggle this time.

"Are you drunk, Granger? Not that it matters, because if it works then we'll get drunk every time, but bloody hell! I figured that if I let you drink to much you'd be an emotional wreck. Thats what every other girl is like when she drinks."

She laughed outright this time, and he joined her, enjoying the fact that they could laugh at the selves. He sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"I think I am drunk, at least a little bit. And I'm Hermione Granger, I don't do emotional wreck. I get giddy and hyper and talk a lot and all that nonsense, but I never cry. At least, not because of alcohol. But I'm fine now. Pleasantly buzzing and warm-ish and what not. I want another drink though, just to make sure alcohol is our secret ingredient." He pulled his wand out as she finished speaking.

"Well then, that's sorted. Accio Firewhiskey! Accio Glasses! This is bloody fucking surreal, though." He replied thoughtfully, catching the whiskey and glasses, then poured them each a drink.

"I know! I feel like we're in the Twilight Zone."

"What the hell is the Twilight Zone?"

"Oh! It's an old muggle television show. It's kind of hard to explain. I just meant that this doesn't seem like it's really happening. I mean I know it is but it almost seems as if I'm dreaming this whole thing up because never in a million years would I expect myself to be drunk and in bed after having sex with my new husband, Draco Malfoy, with nothing covering me but a t-shirt and a sheet." She giggled a bit at the end and he just stared at her, sipping his drink.

"You must be drunk, you're rambling. But yeah, I know what you mean. I never though I'd be grateful to be married to a Muggleborn, but anything beats Pansy-fucking-Parkinson. I'm glad I dodged that bludger." He said, shuddering at the end and making Hermione laugh again.

"Oh Merlin's beard! I don't know how you can stand her! She's so touchy, feely, shrieky.. Bloody annoying! I can only imagine what she was like around you though. I walked into the girl's bathroom once in 5th year to find her sobbing all over Daphne Greengrass because you borrowed a quill off of a Hufflepuff instead of her. She's bloody pathetic!"

"Our mother's wanted us to be married, but it was never properly agreed upon, thank fucking Merlin. My mother was convinced that we would be a better pair when we were older, so she bribed me to tolerate her. And Pansy does what ever I ask. It's always nice to have someone to write your essays for you." He chuckled.

"But, Merlin, the giggling! I want to strangle her some days! She's like a fucking hyena! Oh, Draco, thats so hilarious AHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAhAHAHHAHAHAH!" Hermione shrieked, doing a half decent impression of Pansy Parkinson. Malfoy was clutching his stomach, he was laughing so hard. When the calmed down enough to speak again, Malfoy began to speak.

"We should get this over with before you get too drunk." He said seriously, and she nodded thoughtfully. She could feel the alcohol in her veins, knocking down her inhibitions.

"It's not so bad, sleeping with you. Not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be. I can even imagine how some people look forward to sex." Malfoy looked vaguely insulted but mostly amused.

"You're definitely drunk, Granger. And if you ever want to know how mindblowingly great sex can be, let me know. Nobody does it better than me." He said with a lecherous wink that sent Hermione into fits of laughter.

"You about done, Granger?" Malfoy said after a moment, with a smirk on his face, and she looked over at him and nodded. He extinguished the torch and they were surrounded in darkness. She laid back down on the bed and placed the pillow back under her hips. Malfoy kneeled between her legs again and without asking her, began to thrust into her.

She was pleasantly drunk and detached from the situation, but she noticed that he wasn't being as careful not to touche her this time. His strokes were deeper and slower, and she had the thought that he might be allowing himself to get a bit more enjoyment out of their coupling than he had before. After a few minutes he finished and rolled off of her and they adjusted themselves for sleep.

_'Well, someone might as well enjoy it…'_

And then they slept.

* * *

**So? Comments, Questions, Flames? Tonights sex scenes may seem out of place, (even to me) but I know where I want to go with this so bear with me. But if you think it's a bit too unbelievable after the last sex scenes, let me know. I live for constructive criticism!**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**p.s. The first time I uploaded this (about ten minutes ago lol) I forgot to add in the authors note, the italics and the page breaks incase anyone saw it and thought I lacked all formatting skills lol.**


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